Electroplating apparatus.



PATBNTED FEB. 5, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. R. BOISSIER. ELEGTROPLATING APPARATUS.

.T D. I m n w Si h') Q nvm/T09 Jima.. @730W mm. WMP/z Arron/v5 Ys No. 843,321. PATENTED FEB.5, 1907. H. R. BOISSIER. ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HERMAN R. BOISSIER, OF GREAT NECK, NEW YORK.

ELEcrRoPLA'rlNc-r. APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, 1907.

v Application filed November 25.1905. Serial No. 289.043.

To cth whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN It. Boisslnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Great Neck, Nassau county, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electroplating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for depositing metals by electricity, and has for its object to provide a device for producing a uniform deposit or plating. For this purpose l'employ a receptacle for the articles to be plated and give a peculiar motion to such receptacle, and I also provide other features of novelty, as will be fully described hereinafter, 'and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

.Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of one form of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. F ig. 3 is a horizontal section of the receptacle proper,l drawn upon an enlarged scale. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a top view and a side elevation of a portion of a support forming part of said receptacle. Fig. 6 is an elevation with parts in section, illustrating another form of my invention and Fig. 7 is a cross-section on line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

`As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, I employ a suit-y able box or tank A, the interior of which is preferably lined with an insulating material, as indicated at A. Brackets B, secured to said tank, extend upward and carry a table B', to which are secured the binding-posts and certain other mechanism, to be referred to hereinafter. The positive binding-post C is connected by wires C' with four anodes D, which are located in the upper part of the tank A, said tank being polygonal and preferably rectangular, as shown. In the table B is journaled a shaft E which is also in electrical connection with the binding-post C through suitable metallic parts-and which may be driven by means of gearing E' from a suitabley operating-shaft E2. U on the shaft E is secured an arm F, refera ly in such a manner as to be adjustable up and down, as by means of a set-screw F', Y. I consider it advlsable to make said arm extensible, as by means of the pin-and-slot connection F2, so that certain adjustments ma lbe made, as more fully explained hereina ter.

The free end of the arm F is forked and provided with position normally the upper .end of an inclined sleeve G, made of insulating material. This sleeve surrounds a shaft H, the lower end of which rests in a step-bearing I, which is preferably covered by the insulating-lining A', except where the shaft `H engages such bearing. I prefer to arrange the shaft H loosely within the sleeve G, and at the lower portion of the shaft a collar H' is secured, as by means of a set-screw H2, so as to be adjustable up and down. This collar carries a perforated box or receptacle M- and may form part of said receptacle, if desired.

vThe shaft H has rigidly secured thereto a number of conducting arms or points H3,

which extend within the receptacle M at a distance above the bottom thereof. On the said bottom I prefer to arrangev a Iseries of conducting-strips H4, radiating from the center, and preferably provided with teeth as shown best in Figs. 4 and 5. The articles to be plated are adapted'to rest on the bottom of the receptacle M and on the toothed strips H, as well as against the side walls of the receptacle M.

The shaft E is provided w th an adjustable lower portion E', which may be secured in various positions by means of the setscrew E2. The lower end of the extension E' carries a central anode N, and if said anode is made of the size shown in the drawings it is provided with a slot N' to receive the sleeve G. This electrode N is preferably journaled eccentrically, so that it may have a churning or agitating action upon the liquid. To the bottom of the receptacle M are secured two bars L, provided at their ends with cross-bars L', extending beyond the ends of the receptacle M, as shown in Figs. 2Jand 3.

The current will pass from the bindingpost C to the four lateral anodes D and to the central anode N.' Then the current is passed through the liquid or electrolyte, and will cause the metal to be deposited on the articles to be plated, which articles are con- IOO tained in the receptacle M. The said artivcles are in contact with the strips H* and pins H3, and through the said metallic parts the current passes to the shaf t II, the stepbearing I, the wire J, and the negative binding-post K. The shaft E2 being rotated, a

Apeculiar motion will be imparted to the receptacle M. Theshaft II will obviously describe a conical path, the apex of the cone a removable pin F3, which serves to hold in l being at the step-bearing and-the base of the cone at the varm F. The receptacle M will first slide along one of the side walls of the tank A-for instance, the left-hand side A. The operation will thus be repeated four times during each revolution of the shaft E, the receptacle M moving first toward one corner of the tank'A and then toward the next, along the. ,side walls thereof. Of,

course at the same time theinclination of the receptacle M will be varied, and that part which is lowest in Fig. 1 will become the highest part ofthe receptacle after the shaft E has performed a half-revolution. Thus at certain times the receptacle M will be inclined from side to side, as in Fig. 1, and at other times from front to rear. This change of inclination will naturally cause the articles contained in the receptacle to shift therein, and by this 'arrangement I secure an even deposit of the metal on the 'articles to be plated and prevent any spots of the articles from escaping the electro'plating action,

The upward and downward adjustment of the receptacle M on the shaft H and the up-and-down. adjustment of 'the central electrode N allow the distance Y between said electrode and the articles to be plated to be varied readily. The extent of inclination which the receptacle M receives may be varied by adjusting either the length of the arm F at F2 or the level of said arm at F', or both expedients may be used.

Instead of having a round step-bearing I, as shown in Fig. 1, and providing the receptacle M with the cross-bars L to guide it along the side walls of the tank A, I may givel the step-bearing a polygonal and particularly a square shape, as indicated at I in Figs. 6 and 7, the lower end of the shaft H being likewise squared in this instance.

vthe uniform deposit of the metal on the articles to be plated, but also prevents or minimizes the deposit of the metal on other surfaces. A

Where I have spoken of the motion of shaft H as being in a conical path Ihave used the word conical in the broad mathematical sense, 1n Whlch a conical surface is defined as one generated by the movement of a straight line, one point of-which, the apex, remains at the same place,whi1e the other points of said line move in curves or paths similar to each other, but varying in extent, according to the distance of said points from the apex. l

- I claimv .1. An electroplatingapparatuscomprising a suitable tank provided with an electrode, a shaft extending into said tank and movable in a conical path, means for operating said shaft, and a receptacle connected with said shaft, and adapted to contain the articles t0 be plated, and provided with means for conducting the current to such articles.

2. The combination with a tank having means for conducting an electric current thereto, of a step-bearing in said tank, a shaft in alinement with said step-bearing, another shaft, one end of which rests in said stepbearing, while its other end is connected ecvcentrically with the first-named shaft, and a receptacle or holder for the articles to be plated, carried by the second-named shaft.

3. The combination with a tank and means for supplying current thereto, of a shaft movable in a conical path within said tank, and a' receptacle for .the articles tobe plated carried by said shaft.

4. Thel combination with aA tank having means for conducting a current thereto, of a shaft or su port movable in said tank in a conicalpat a receptacle for the articles to be plated, carried by said support, and means for preserving the direction of the' recep.

tacles inclination up to a certain int of its travel, and then changing the irection of said inclination.

5. The combination with a tank having means for conducting an electric current thereto, of-a shaft or support movable in a conical path, and having conducting-pins or rods rigidly secured thereto, and a receptacle for the articles to be plated, carried by said support.

6. l The combination with a tank having means for conducting an electric current thereto, of a support arranged Within said tank, a receptacle for the articles to be plated FOO carried by said support and surrounding the same, and conducting pins or rods radiating -from said support Within said receptacle, and' rigidly secured to said support.

7. The combination witha tank having means for conducting a current thereto, of a receptacle for the articles to be plated, located within said tank, and toothed strips located at the bottom of said receptacle.

8. TheV combination with a tank having means for conducting a current thereto, of a step-bearing Within said tank, a shaft alining with said step-bearing, a central electrode carrled by said shaft, an extensible arm rigidly secured to said shaft, a shaft or fsupport, A

one end of which rests in' said step-bearing, while the other end is connected with said arm, said shaft being thus adapted to move l in a conical path, areceptacle for the articles to be plated securedto the lower part of said step-bearingwithin said tank, a shaft alining eccentrically, and a receptacle for the articles to be plated, connected with said support.

shaft or support, pins or rods projecting from said support within the receptacle, and means for causing the direction in which the receptacle' is inclined to change periodically.

9. The combination with a tank having means for conducting a current thereto, of a With said bearing, and having an electrode secured thereto, a support resting lin said step-bearing and connected with said shaft 10. The combination with a tank havin3r means for conducting a current thereto, of a shaft, an extensible arm carried by said shaft, a step-bearing, a support restingin said stepbearing, and connected with said arm7 and a receptacle'for the articles to be plated, oarried by said support. I

11. The combination with a tank havingr means for conducting a current thereto, of a movable receptacle for the articles to be plated, located Within said tank, and an ecl centrically-journaled rotary electrode located adjacent to said receptacle but exteriorly t thereof.

12. The combination with a tank having I means for conducting a current thereto, of a step-bearing within said tank, a support or shaft resting in said step-bearinv, means for movin(r said support in a conicall` path, a receptacle for the articles to be plated, carried by said support, and guide members connected with said receptacle, and adapted to engage a stationary part of the tank, to cause the direction in which the receptacle is inclined to change, according as said uide members engage dii-ferent surfaces o the tank.

13. The combination with a tank having means for conducting a current thereto, of a shaft or support, means for imparting movement to said support in a conical path, a

polygonal step-bearingr for the squared lower end of said shaft or support, and a receptacle S carried bvsaidsupport and adapted to receive the articles to be plated.

Inv testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERMAN R. BOISSIER.

Witnesses .lonsr LOTKA, Y JOHN A. KEHLENBECK. 

